Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device includes a gate electrode disposed on a fin, a gate spacer disposed on the fin and a sidewall of the gate electrode, a source/drain electrode disposed on the fin, and an air pocket structure interposed between the gate spacer and the source/drain electrode. The air pocket structure includes an air gap, a first sidewall, a top sealing, a second sidewall and a bottom sealing. The air gap is enclosed by the first sidewall, the top sealing, the second sidewall and the bottom sealing arranged in a clockwise sequence. The top sealing and the bottom sealing include the same material of an energy removable material.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/643,715 filed on Mar. 15, 2018, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present inventive concept relates to a semiconductor device and amethod of fabricating the same.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Semiconductor devices include transistors, contacts and interconnects.The transistors may be formed on the bottom of the semiconductor devicesand serve as switches. The interconnects may be formed on the top of thetransistors as wirings that transfer electrical signals from onetransistor to another. As the interconnects become more compact at eachnode, an unwanted resistance-capacitance (RC) delay in chips increases.The interconnects in multi-level may be connected to each other using aseries of contact structures. The contact resistance and correspondingparasitic capacitances associated with the contact structures increasesthe RC delay.

SUMMARY

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, asemiconductor device includes a gate electrode disposed on a fin, a gatespacer disposed on the fin and a sidewall of the gate electrode, asource/drain electrode disposed on the fin, and an air pocket structureinterposed between the gate spacer and the source/drain electrode. Theair pocket structure includes an air gap, a first sidewall, a topsealing, a second sidewall and a bottom sealing. The air gap is enclosedby the first sidewall, the top sealing, the second sidewall and thebottom sealing arranged in a clockwise sequence. The top sealing and thebottom sealing include the same material of an energy removablematerial.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, amethod of fabricating a semiconductor device is provided as follows. Agate structure is formed on a fin, wherein the gate structure includes afirst gate spacer, a second gate spacer, and a gate electrode interposedtherebetween. A source/drain contact is formed on the fin. Asource/drain electrode is formed on the source/drain contact. An airpocket pattern is formed between the source/drain contact and the gateelectrode. The air pocket pattern includes a first low-k dielectricpattern and an energy removable pattern between the gate structure andthe source/drain electrode. An air gap is formed by applying energy tothe energy removable pattern. The air gap is defined in part by thefirst low-k dielectric pattern.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, amethod of forming a trench silicide contact is provided as follows. Oneor more layers are perforated to create a perforation exposing at leasta portion of a silicon substrate. A first material is deposited throughthe perforation, the first material including a first metal that isreactive with silicon. The silicon substrate is annealed to form asilicide in the exposed portion of the silicon substrate. The firstmaterial is removed from sidewalls of the layers. A liner material isdeposited onto the sidewalls of the layers, the liner material having alower dielectric constant than that of silicon dioxide and including anenergy removal porous material. A second material is deposited throughthe perforation, the deposited second material being in electricalcontact with the silicide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

These and other features of the present inventive concept will becomemore apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof withreference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 shows a layout of a semiconductor device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 2A shows a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 2B shows a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 3A shows an upper part of a first air pocket structure in FIG. 2Baccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 3B shows a middle part of the first air pocket structure in FIG. 2Baccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 3C shows a lower part of the first air pocket structure in FIG. 2Baccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 4 shows an upper part and a lower part of a first air pocketstructure in FIG. 2B according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinventive concept;

FIG. 5 shows an upper part and a lower part of a first air pocketstructure in FIG. 2B according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinventive concept;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing fabrication process steps of forming thesemiconductor device of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept;

FIG. 7 shows step S130 of FIG. 6 in detail according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, 8F, 8G and 8H show step-by-step,cross-sectional views, taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1, of thesemiconductor device formed by using the exemplary fabrication processsteps of FIGS. 6 and 7 according to the present inventive concept;

FIG. 9 shows step S130 of FIG. 6 in detail according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIGS. 10 and 11 show step-by-step, cross-sectional views, taken alongline I-I′ of FIG. 1, of the semiconductor device of FIG. 1 formed usingthe fabrication process of FIGS. 6 and 9 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 12 shows step S130 of FIG. 6 in detail according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIGS. 13 and 14 show step-by-step, cross-sectional views, taken alongline I-I′ of FIG. 1, of the semiconductor device of FIG. 1 formed usingthe fabrication process of FIGS. 6 and 12 according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing fabrication process steps of forming thesemiconductor device of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept;

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing fabrication process steps of forming thesemiconductor device of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept;

FIGS. 17A, 17B, 17C, 17D, 17E and 17F show step-by-step, cross-sectionalviews, taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1, of the semiconductor deviceformed by using the exemplary fabrication process steps of FIG. 16according to the present inventive concept; and

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing fabrication process steps of forming thesemiconductor device of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept will be describedbelow in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However,the inventive concept may be embodied in different forms and should notbe construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Hereinafter, a semiconductor device including an air pocket structurebetween a gate spacer of a gate electrode and a source/drain electrodewill be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B. The air pocketstructure, according to the inventive concept, may reduce a couplingcapacitance between the gate electrode and the source/drain so that anRC delay of middle-of-line (MOL) integration is reduced. The MOLintegration may be formed of various contacts including a source/draincontact connected in series between the front-end-of-the-line (FEOL) andthe backend-of-the-line (BEOL) of the semiconductor device. FIG. 1 showsa layout of a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodimentof the present inventive concept. FIG. 2A shows a cross-sectional viewtaken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept. FIG. 2B shows a cross-sectional viewtaken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present inventive concept.

In FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B, a semiconductor device 100 includes a transistorTR formed on a substrate 110 and an interlayer dielectric layer 200covering the transistor TR.

The transistor TR includes a plurality of fins 120, a gate electrode130, a first source/drain electrode 140, a second source/drain electrode150 and a gate contact electrode160. The transistor TR further includesa hard mask layer 135 and a gate spacer 136. The gate spacer 136includes a first gate spacer 136L and a second gate spacer 136R. Thetransistor TR further includes a source/drain region 170 and asource/drain contact 180. The transistor TR further includes an airpocket structure APS having a first air pocket structure APS1 and asecond air pocket structure APS2. The interlayer dielectric layer 200 isdisposed on the gate electrode 130 to cover the gate electrode 130. Thesecond source/drain electrode 150 and the air pocket structure APS aredisposed in a trench 300. The second source/drain electrode 150 may bein contact with the source/drain contact 180. The air pocket structureAPS may also be in contact with the source/drain contact 180.

The substrate 110 may include silicon, germanium (Ge) orsilicon-germanium (SiGe) alloy. The substrate 110 may also include acompound semiconductor such as silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenic(GaAs), indium arsenide (InAs), and indium phosphide (INS). Furthermore,the substrate 110 nay include a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI)structure. For example, the substrate 110 may include a buried oxide(BOX) layer formed by using a process such as separation by implantedoxygen (SIMOX).

The fins 120 may provide an active region for the transistor TR in whicha channel is formed according to a voltage applied to the gate electrode130. Each of the fins 120 is extended along a first direction X. Thefins 120 are spaced apart from each other along a second direction Ycrossing the first direction X. Each of the fins 120 protrudes from thesubstrate 110 in a third direction Z that is perpendicular to the layoutof FIG. 1. In an exemplary embodiment, the fins 120 may be formed bypartially etching the substrate 110. In an exemplary embodiment, thefins 120 may be epitaxially formed on the substrate 110.

For the convenience of description, the fins 120 include three fins. Thepresent inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, thenumber of the fins 120 may be less than 3 or more than 3.

In an exemplary embodiment, the transistor TR may include a plurality ofnanowires instead of the fins 120 to provide an active region with thetransistor.

The gate electrode 130 is extended in the second direction Y. The gateelectrode 130 may include metal such as tungsten (W), cobalt (Co),aluminum (Al). For example, the gate electrode 130 may be formed byusing a replacement-metal-gate (RMG) process. In an exemplaryembodiment, the gate electrode 130 may include doped poly-silicon.

The hard mask layer 135 is formed on a top surface of the gate electrode130. The hard mask layer 135 may serve to protect the gate electrode 130when the trench 300 is formed to expose parts of the fins 120. Forexample, when a photomask for forming the trench 300 is shifted towardthe second gate spacer 136R, the second gate spacer 136R and/or the hardmask layer 135 may be exposed to an etching gas used in the formation ofthe trench 300. With etch selectivity with respect to the interlayerdielectric layer 200, the hard mask layer 135 and the gate spacer 136Rmay serve to protect the gate electrode 130. For example, when theinterlayer dielectric layer 200 includes silicon oxide, the hard masklayer 135 and the gate spacer 136R may include silicon nitride. In thiscase, as shown in FIG. 2B, the first gate spacer 136L and the secondgate spacer 136R may have different shapes due to spacer loss of thesecond gate spacer 136R. For example, the second gate spacer 136R isshorter than the first gate spacer 136L.

The gate spacer 136 is disposed on either side of the gate electrode130. The gate spacer 136 is further disposed on either side of the hardmask layer 135. The gate spacer 136 may serve to electrically isolatethe gate electrode 130 from other conductive elements (e.g. the secondsource/drain electrode 150). For example, the gate spacer 136 mayinclude silicon nitride, silicon carbon nitride, silicon oxy nitride.The gate spacer 136 and/or the hard mask layer 135 may be subject to anetching process when the trench 300 is formed, which may cause to removepartly the gate spacer 136 and/or the hard mask layer 135. In this case,the first gate spacer 136L, left to the gate electrode 130, and thesecond gate spacer 136R, right to the gate electrode 130, have differentshapes. According to an exemplary embodiment, the air gap structure APSmay be formed after the formation of the gate spacer 136 and theformation of the trench 300, and thus, the loss of the second gatespacer 136R in the process of forming the trench 300 need not affect theair gap structure APS.

The first source/drain electrode 140 and the second source/drainelectrode 150 may be substantially the same in structure and material.The first source/drain electrode 140 is disposed on one side of the gateelectrode 130, and the second source/drain electrode 150 is disposed onthe other side of the gate electrode 130. For the convenience ofdescription, the second source/drain electrode 150 will be described indetail, which may apply to the first source/drain electrode 140.

The second source/drain electrode 150 is disposed between the gateelectrode 130 and a gate spacer 136′ of another transistor adjacent tothe transistor TR. The second source/drain electrode 150 may be sharedby the transistor TR and its adjacent transistor in the first directionX. As shown in the layout of FIG. 1 and the cross-sectional view of FIG.2A, the second source/drain electrode 150 is disposed in the middlebetween the gate electrode 130 and a gate electrode of anothertransistor adjacent to the transistor TR. However, due to a processvariation such as a shift of photomask for defining a region to beformed as the trench 300 on the interlayer dielectric layer 200, thesecond source/drain electrode 150 may be shifted toward the second gatespacer 136R as shown in FIG. 2B, for example. The second source/drainelectrode 150 may be self-aligned to the source/drain contact 180through the trench 300. The second source/drain electrode 150 overlapspartly the second gate spacer 136R. In an exemplary embodiment, thesecond source/drain electrode 150 may overlap partly the hard mask layer135.

The second source/drain electrode 150 may be formed of metal includingtungsten (W), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), ruthenium (Ru) or molybdenum(Mo).

The gate contact electrode 160 is disposed on the gate electrode 130.For example, the gate contact electrode 160 is disposed on one end ofthe gate electrode 130 so that the gate contact electrode 160 is notdisposed between two gate electrodes adjacent to each other along thefirst direction X. The gate contact electrode 160 is non-overlapped withthe fins 120 in the third direction Z. The gate contact electrode 160may be electrically connected to the gate electrode 130. The presentinventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, the gate contactelectrode 160 may be disposed between two adjacent gate electrodes. Inthis case, the gate contact electrode 160 may overlap the fins 120 inthe third direction Z.

The source/drain region 170 is formed in the fins 120. In an exemplaryembodiment, the source/drain region 170 may be a raised source/drainregion formed on the fins 120 using an epitaxial growth method. Theraised source/drain region may be partly disposed along a sidewall ofthe gate spacer 136. In the epitaxial growth method, the fins 120 mayserve as a seed layer. The source/drain region 170 may include silicondoped with dopants or a silicon germanium alloy doped with dopants.

The source/drain contact 180 is formed on the source/drain region 170.The source/drain contact 180 may include metal silicide such as titaniumsilicide, nickel silicide, nickel platinum silicide, tantalum silicideand cobalt silicide. The source/drain contact 180 may serve to reducecontact resistance between the source/drain region 170 and the secondsource/drain electrode 150.

The first air pocket structure APS1 is formed on a left inner sidewallof the trench 300 and a top surface of the source/drain contact 180. Forexample, the first air pocket structure APS1 is in contact with the leftinner sidewall of the trench 300 and the top surface of the source/draincontact 180. The first air pocket structure APS1 is interposed betweenthe second source/drain electrode 150 and the second gate spacer 136R.

The second air pocket structure APS2 is formed on a right inner sidewallof the trench 300 and the top surface of the source/drain contact 180.For example, the second air pocket structure APS2 is in contact with theright inner sidewall of the trench 300 and the top surface of thesource/drain contact 180. The second air pocket structure APS2 isinterposed between the second source/drain electrode 150 and theinterlayer dielectric layer 200 covering the gate spacer 136′ of atransistor adjacent to the transistor TR in the first direction X.

The first air pocket structure APS1 and the second air pocket structureAPS2 may have the same structure and material. In FIG. 2A, thesource/drain electrode 150 is formed in a non-self-aligned contact, andthe first air pocket structure APS1 and the second air pocket structureAPS2 may have the same shape. In FIG. 2B, the source/drain electrode 150is formed in a self-aligned contact, and the first air pocket structureAPS1 and the second air pocket structure APS2 may have different shapes.For example, the first air pocket structure APS1 has a curved partadjacent to a corner of the gate electrode 130, and the second airpocket structure APS2 is straight along the third direction Z. Thepresent inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, thesecond air pocket structure APS2 may be curved adjacent to a corner of agate electrode of another transistor, depending on a width of the secondsource/drain electrode 150 and the degree of photomask shift in theformation of the trench 300.

Hereinafter, the first air pocket structure APS1 of FIGS. 2B will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3C, which may apply to thesecond air pocket structure APS2. FIG3A shows an upper part APS-UP ofthe first air pocket structure APS1 in FIGS. 2B according to anexemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept; FIG. 3B shows amiddle part APS-MP of the first air pocket structure APS1 in FIGS. 2Baccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;and FIG3C shows a lower part APS-LP of the air pocket structure in FIG.2B according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventiveconcept. The upper part APS-UP and the lower part APS-LP of FIGS. 2A mayhave the same cross-sectional view as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. However,the middle part APS-MP of FIGS. 2A and 2B may be different. Thedifference will be described with reference to FIG. 3B.

The first air pocket structure APS1 includes a first sidewall APS1-1S, atop sealing APS-TS, a second sidewall APS1-2S, a bottom sealing APS-BSand an air gap AG disposed therebetween. For example, the air gap AG isenclosed by the first sidewall APS1-1S, the top sealing APS-TS, thesecond sidewall APS1-2S and the bottom sealing APS-BS that are arrangedaround the air gap AG in a clockwise sequence. In an exemplaryembodiment, the air gap AG may be filled with air of which a dielectricconstant is about unity (1).

The first sidewall APS1-1S is defined by a first low-k dielectricpattern APS-1LK. The second sidewall APS-2S is defined by a second low-kdielectric pattern APS-2LK. The first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LKmay include a low-k dielectric material having atoms of Si, C, O, B, P,N or H. For example, the dielectric constant for the first low-kdielectric pattern is from about 2.4 to about 3.5 depending upon themole fraction of Si, C, N, B, P, H and O. The second low-k dielectricpattern APS-2LK may include the same material as that of the first low-kdielectric pattern APS-1LK. In this case, the air gap AG is interposedbetween the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK and the second low-kdielectric pattern APS-2LK. For example, the first low-k dielectricpattern APS-1LK, the air gap AG and the second low-k dielectric patternAPS-2LK are laminated along the first direction X as listed. A nitrideliner 190 is disposed between the second low-k dielectric patternAPS-2LK and the second source/drain electrode 150. In an exemplaryembodiment, the nitride liner 190 may include a conformal titaniumnitride (TiN) that is conductive. The nitride liner 190 may serve as aprotective layer of its underlying structure (e.g., the source/draincontact 180) in the formation of the second source/drain electrode 150.The nitride liner 190 may also serve as an adhesive layer between thesecond source/drain electrode 150 and the source/drain contact 180.

The top sealing APS-TS, in FIG. 3A, is interposed between the firstlow-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK and the second low-k dielectric patternAPS-2LK. In an exemplary embodiment, the top sealing APS-TS may be incontact with the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK at its one sideand the second low-k dielectric pattern APS-2LK at its opposite side.

In FIG. 3A, the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK is interposedbetween the interlayer dielectric layer 200 and the top sealing APS-TS.In an exemplary embodiment, the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LKmay be in contact with the interlayer dielectric layer 200 at its oneside and the top sealing APS-TS at its opposite side.

The second low-k dielectric pattern APS-2LK is interposed between thetop sealing APS-TS and the nitride liner 190. In an exemplaryembodiment, the second low-k dielectric pattern APS-2LK may be incontact with the top sealing APS-TS at its one side and the nitrideliner 190 at its opposite side.

In FIG. 3C, the bottom sealing APS-BS is interposed between the firstlow-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK and the second low-k dielectric patternAPS-2LK. In an exemplary embodiment, the bottom sealing APS-BS may be incontact with the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK at its one sideand the second low-k dielectric pattern APS-2LK at its opposite side.

The first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK is interposed between thesecond gate spacer 136R and the bottom sealing APS-BS. In an exemplaryembodiment, the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK may be in contactwith the second gate spacer 136R at its one side and the bottom sealingAPS-BS at its opposite side.

The second low-k dielectric pattern APS-2LK is interposed between thenitride liner 190 and the bottom sealing APS-BS. In an exemplaryembodiment, the second low-k dielectric pattern APS-2LK may be incontact with the nitride liner at its one side and the bottom sealingAPS-BS at its opposite side.

In an exemplary embodiment, the top sealing APS-TS and the bottomsealing APS-BS may include substantially the same material such as anenergy removable material. The energy removable material may include amaterial such as a thermal decomposable material, a photonicdecomposable material, an e-beam decomposable material and a combinationthereof.

For example, the energy removable material may include a matrix materialand a decomposable porogen material that is sacrificially removed uponbeing exposed to an energy source. The energy source may include heat,light or a combination thereof. The matrix material may include amethylsilsesquioxane (MSQ) based material, and the decomposable porogenmaterial may include a porogen organic compound that provides porosityto the matrix material of the energy removable material. A heat or lighttreatment may remove the decomposable porogen material from the energyremovable material to generate pores, with the matrix material remainingin place. Air may fill the pores made after the decomposable porogenmaterial was removed. In this case, the air gap of the first air pocketstructure APS1 may be highly porous such that the pores are connected toeach other.

In an exemplary embodiment, the energy removable material may include arelatively high concentration of the porogen material and a relativelylow concentration of the matrix material. For example, the energyremovable material may include about 55% or greater of the porogenmaterial, and about 45% or less of the matrix material. In an exemplaryembodiment. the energy removable material may include about 75% orgreater of the porogen material, and about 25% or less of the matrixmaterial. In an exemplary embodiment, the energy removable material mayinclude 100% of the decomposable porogen material, and no matrixmaterial is used. In this case, no matrix material may be present in theair gap AG of the first air pocket structure APS1 after a heat or lighttreatment is performed.

The present inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, thefirst air pocket structure APS1 may include one of the top sealingAPS-TS and the bottom sealing APS-BS. Where the first air pocketstructure APS1 includes the top sealing APS-TS only, part of thesubstrate (e.g., part of the source/drain contact 180) may serve to sealthe air gap AG with the top sealing APS-TS, the first sidewall APS1-1Sand the second sidewall APS-2S. For the first air pocket structure APS1having the bottom sealing APS-BS only, a sealing layer may be disposedon the interlayer dielectric layer 200 and the second source/drainelectrode 150 to seal the air gap AG with the bottom sealing APS-BS, thefirst sidewall APS1-1S and the second sidewall APS-2S.

In FIG. 3B like FIGS. 3A and 3C, the air gap AG is interposed betweenthe first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK and the second low-kdielectric pattern APS-2LK. However, the first low-k dielectric patternAPS-1LK is interposed between the air gap AG and the second gate spacer136R. In this case, the second gate spacer 136R is adjacent to thesecond source/drain electrode 150 at the shortest distance in the firstdirection X with the air gap AG therebetween. Near a corner 130CR of thegate electrode 130, the second gate spacer 136R and the secondsource/drain electrode 150 may have the shortest distance in the firstdirection X. When the second gate spacer 136R includes silicon nitrideof which a dielectric constant is about 7.5, a coupling capacitancebetween the gate electrode 130 and the second source/drain electrode 150arranged at the shortest distance may be such that without the air gapAG according to the present inventive concept, the second source/drainelectrode 150 may increase its signal delay, which may be detrimental tothe operation of a high-speed transistor. The air gap AG between thefirst low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK and the second low-k dielectricpattern APS-2LK may reduce an equivalent dielectric constant of thefirst air pocket structure APS1 to be smaller than that of the firstlow-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK, for example. Depending on a relativethickness of the air gap AG to the first low-k dielectric patternAPS-1LK (assuming that the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK hassubstantially the same thickness as that of the second low-k dielectricpattern APS-2LK), the equivalent dielectric constant of the first airpocket structure APS1 may have a value between a dielectric constant(about one (1)) of air and that of a low-k dielectric material includedin the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LKand the second low-k dielectric pattern APS-2LK may have a mechanicalstrength sufficient to support the first air pocket structure APS1having the air gap AG at the inside thereof or to prevent the first airpocket structure APS1 from collapsing into the air gap AG.

In FIG. 2A, the second gate spacer 136R may be the same shape as thefirst gate spacer 136L. For example, the trench 300 may be formedwithout gate spacer loss unlike FIGS. 2B and 3B. In this case, theinterlayer dielectric layer 200 may be disposed between the second gatespacer 136R and the first air pocket structure APS1.

In FIGS. 3A to 3C, the first air pocket structure APS1 includes thefirst low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK and the second low-k dielectricpattern APS-2LK as a template to define the air gap AG therebetween. Inthis case, the air gap AG is enclosed by the first low-k dielectricpattern APS-1LK, the top sealing APS-TS, the second low-k dielectricpattern APS-2LK and the bottom sealing APS-BS that are arranged aroundthe air gap AG in a clockwise sequence. The present inventive concept isnot limited thereto. For example, an air pocket structure may include,instead of having two low-k dielectric patterns as its template, onelow-k dielectric pattern and another constituent elements of thetransistor TR such as the second gate spacer 136R and the nitride liner190, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 shows an upper part APS-UP and a lower part APS-LP of the firstair pocket structure APS1 in FIGS. 2A and 2B according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present inventive concept. FIG. 5 shows an upper partAPS-UP and a lower part APS-LP of the first air pocket structure APS1 inFIGS. 2A and 2B according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinventive concept. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the middle part APS-MP of the firstair pocket structure APS1 in FIGS. 2A and 2B will not be shown. Themiddle part AMPS-MP of the first air pocket structure APS1 in FIGS. 4and 5 may be substantially the same as that of the first air pocketstructure APS1 in FIG. 3B, except that the first air pocket structure inFIGS. 4 and 5 includes one low-k dielectric pattern only.

In FIG. 4, the first air pocket structure APS1 includes the firstsidewall APS1-1S defined by the interlayer dielectric layer 200 at theupper part APS-UP and defined by the second gate spacer 136R at thelower part APS-LP. The first air pocket structure APS1 also includes thesecond sidewall APS1-2S defined by the second low-k dielectric patternAPS-2LK. In this case, the first air pocket structure APS1 includes theair gap AG enclosed by the second gate spacer 136R, the interlayerdielectric layer 200, the top sealing APS-TS, the second low-kdielectric pattern APS-2LK and the bottom sealing APS-BS that arearranged around the air gap AG in a clockwise sequence. In an exemplaryembodiment where part of the hard mask layer 135 is exposed in themiddle part APS-MP, the air gap AG may be enclosed by the second gatespacer 136R, the part of the hard mask layer 135, the interlayerdielectric layer 200, the top sealing APS-TS, the second low-kdielectric pattern APS-2LK and the bottom sealing APS-BS that arearranged around the air gap AG in a clockwise sequence. The second low-kdielectric pattern APS-2LK may be formed of a low-k dielectric materialincluding various combinations of atoms such as Si, C, B, C, N , P, Oand H. SiCOH is one such example). The dielectric constant for SiCOH isfrom about 2.4 to about 3.5 depending upon the mole fraction of Si, Cand O.

In FIG. 5, the first air pocket structure APS1 includes the firstsidewall APS1-1S defined by the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LKand the second sidewall APS1-2S defined by the nitride liner 190. Inthis case, the first air pocket structure APS1 includes an air gap AGenclosed by the first low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK, the top sealingAPS-TS, the nitride liner 190 and the bottom sealing APS-BS that arearranged around the gap in a clockwise sequence. The first low-kdielectric pattern APS-1LK may be formed of a low-k dielectric materialincluding atoms such as Si, C, B, C, N, P, O and H. The dielectricconstant for SiCOH, for example, is from about 2.4 to about 3.5depending upon the mole fraction of Si, C and O.

Hereinafter, it will be described about a fabrication process of formingthe semiconductor device 100 of FIG. 1 with the first air pocketstructure APS1 of FIGS. 3A to 3C. The fabrication process will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 1, 3A to 3C, 6, 7 and 8A to 8H.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing fabrication process steps of forming thesemiconductor device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent inventive concept; FIG. 7 shows step S130 of FIG. 6 in detailaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;and FIGS. 8A to 8H show step-by-step, cross-sectional views, taken alongline I-I′ of FIG. 1, of the semiconductor device 100 formed by using theexemplary fabrication process steps of FIGS. 6 and 7 according to thepresent inventive concept.

In FIG. 8A, the gate electrode 130 and the interlayer dielectric layer200 are formed on the fins 120 according to step S110 of FIG. 6. Thegate electrode 130 has a top surface covered with the hard mask layer135, sidewalls covered with the gate spacer 136 having the first gatespacer 136L and the second gate spacer 136R. The first gate spacer 136Land the second gate spacer 136R also cover sidewalls of the hard masklayer 135. The interlayer dielectric layer 200 covers the hard masklayer 135, the gate spacer 136 and the fins 120.

The gate spacer 136 and the hard mask layer 135 may include aninsulating material having etch selectivity with respect to that of theinterlayer dielectric layer 200. For example, when the interlayerdielectric layer 200 includes silicon oxide, the gate spacer 136 and thehard mask layer 135 may include silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride.In an exemplary embodiment, the gate spacer 136 and the hard mask layer135 may include the same material or different materials.

The hard mask layer 135, the gate spacer 136 and the gate electrode 130may be formed in a replacement-metal-gate (RMG) process in which thegate spacer 136 may serve as a template for forming the gate electrode130. For example, a sacrificial layer may be formed in a region definedby the first gate spacer 136L and the second gate spacer 136R, and thenthe sacrificial layer may be replaced with the gate electrode 130 toppedwith the hard mask layer 135. In an exemplary embodiment, the gateelectrode 130 may include metal such as tungsten (W).

In an exemplary embodiment, when the transistor TR of FIG. 1 has araised source/drain region, an epitaxial layer may be formed, before theinterlayer dielectric layer 200 is formed, on the fins 120 between thegate electrode 130 and its adjacent gate electrode.

In FIG. 8B, the trench 300 is formed, according to step S120, in theinterlayer dielectric layer 200 using a reactive ion etching (RIE)process to expose the fins 120 between the gate electrode 130 and itsadjacent gate electrode. Through the trench 300, the source/drain region170 and the source/drain contact 180 are formed in the fins 120. To formthe source/drain region 170, dopants may be doped into the fins 120through the trench 300. For example, an ion implantation process or adiffusion process may be performed to form the source/drain region 170in the fins 120.

A photomask for defining the trench 300 on a region of the interlayerdielectric layer 200 may be shifted toward the second gate spacer 136Ras described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2B. However, the process forforming the trench 300 may be controlled such that the trench 300 isformed without removing partially the second gate spacer 136R. For theconvenience of description, it is assumed that the photomask is shiftedtoward the second gate spacer 136R. In this case, the second gate spacer136R may be subject to an RIE process for forming the trench 300, whichmay remove partially the second gate spacer 136R, thereby forming agate-spacer-loss region GLR at a corner of the second gate spacer 136R.In this case, the second gate spacer 136R having the gate-spacer-lossregion GLR are different from the first gate spacer 136L in shape afterthe formation of the trench 300. The hard mask layer 135 may also beremoved partially depending on the degree of the photomask shift.

The present inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example,depending on the degree of the photomask shift and the width of thetrench 300, another gate spacer 136′ may also be partially removed inthe RIE process in the formation of the trench 300.

To form the source/drain contact 180, a dual layer of a metal layer anda nitride layer may be formed on the fins 120 through the trench 300 andthen a heat treatment process may apply to the dual layer. The metallayer including titanium (Ti) may be in contact with the source/drainregion 170, and the nitride layer including titanium nitride (TiN) maybe in contact with the metal layer. In an exemplary embodiment, themetal layer may be formed using a physical vapor deposition process suchas a sputtering process. The nitride layer may be formed conformally inthe trench 300 using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process or anatomic layer deposition (ALD) process.

In the heat treatment process, metal atoms (titanium atoms, for example)of the metal layer may react chemically with Si atoms of the fins 120 toform the source/drain contact 180 (e.g., titanium silicide) in thesource/drain region 170. The present inventive concept is not limitedthereto. For example, the source/drain contact 180 may include cobaltsilicide. In this case, the metal layer including cobalt (Co) may beformed on the fins 120 through the trench 300 using a PVD process, andthen cobalt atoms may react with silicon atom of the fins 120 to formcobalt silicide as the source/drain contact 180.

In an exemplary embodiment, the heat treatment process may be performedusing a dynamic surface annealing process to form the source/draincontact 180. The dynamic surface annealing may cause a shallow-depthregion of the source/drain region 170 to reach a silicidationtemperature. In the heat treatment, part of the metal layer and thenitride layer may remain unreacted. Before performing the subsequentprocess, the unreacted part of the metal layer and the nitride layer maybe removed by using an etchant such as H₂O₂ and a SC-1 solution. Thisenables deposition of a relatively thinner adhesion nitride layer (TiN)followed by metal fill. Thinner barrier and more metal results in lowercontact resistance.

In FIG. 8C, an air pocket layer APL is formed on the resulting structureof FIG. 8B according to step S130 of FIGS. 6 and 7. For example, the airpocket layer APL may be conformally formed, using a CVD process, on atop surface of the interlayer dielectric layer 200, a sidewall of thetrench 300 and the source/drain contact 180. The sidewall of the trench300 may be defined by a sidewall of the interlayer dielectric layer 200,the gate-spacer-loss region GPR, and a sidewall of the second gatespacer 136R. In an exemplary embodiment, the air pocket layer APL may bein contact with the second gate spacer 136R with the gate-spacer-lossregion GPR. In an exemplary embodiment, the air pocket layer APL may bein contact with the source/drain contact 180.

The air pocket layer APL includes a first low-k dielectric layerAPL-1LK, a second low-k dielectric layer APL-2LK and an energy removablelayer APL-ERL interposed therebetween. The first low-k dielectric layerAPL-1LK may be formed, using a CVD process, on the resulting structureof FIG. 8B according to step S130A of FIGS. 6 and 7. In step S130B, theenergy removable layer APL-ERL may be formed, using a CVD process, onthe first low-k dielectric layer APL-1LK. In step S130C, the secondlow-k dielectric layer APL-2LK may be formed, using a CVD process, onthe energy removable layer APL-ERL.

The first low-k dielectric layer APL-1LK may include a low-k dielectricmaterial having atoms such as Si, C, O, B, P, N and H. The detaileddescription of SiCOH, for example, was made above with reference to thefirst low-k dielectric pattern APS-1LK. The detailed description thereofwill be omitted. The second low-k dielectric layer APL-2LK may havesubstantially the same material as the first low-k dielectric layerAPL-1LK.

The energy removable layer APL-ERL may include a material such as athermal decomposable material, a photonic decomposable material, ane-beam decomposable material, and a combination thereof. The detaileddescription of the material was made above with reference to the topsealing APS-TS, and thus the detailed description thereof will beomitted.

In FIG. 8D, an air pocket pattern APP is formed from the air pocketlayer APL of FIG. 8C according to step S140 of FIG. 6. A reactive ionetching (RIE) process may be performed on the resulting structure ofFIG. 8C. In the reactive ion etching, the air pocket layer APL formed ona top surface of the interlayer dielectric layer 200 and on thesource/drain contact 180 may be removed; and the air pocket layer APL ona sidewall of the interlayer dielectric layer 200 within the trench 300(or on a sidewall of the trench 300) may remain or may be barely removedto form the air pocket pattern APP. The slope of the gate-spacer-lossregion GPR of the second gate spacer 136R is exaggerated for theconvenience of description. The slope of the gate-spacer-loss region GPRmay be such that the second low-k dielectric layer APL-LK2 of FIG. 8C isbarely removed in the RIE process to form the air pocket pattern APP.

The air pocket pattern APP includes a first low-k dielectric patternAPP-1LK, a second low-k dielectric pattern APP-2LK and an energyremovable pattern APP-ERP. The first low-k dielectric pattern APP-1LKand the second low-k dielectric pattern APP-2LK may remain in place inthe subsequent process, thereby serving as a template to form the airgap AG. In the completed structure of the air pocket structure APP ofFIGS. 3A to 3C, the first low-k dielectric pattern APP-1LK was referredto using “APS-1LK,” and the second low-k dielectric pattern APP-2LK wasreferred to using “APS-2LK.”

In FIG. 8E, a nitride liner layer 190P may be conformally formed on theresulting structure of FIG. 8D according to step S150 of FIG. 6. Forexample, the nitride liner layer 190P may be formed by using aplasma-enhance CVD (PECVD) process or an ALD process. The nitride linerlayer 190P may include TiN that is conductive.

In FIG. 8F, a metal layer ML is formed, using a CVD process, on theresulting structure of FIG. 8E according to step S160 of FIG. 6. Forexample, the metal layer ML is formed on the nitride liner layer 190P,completely filling the trench 300 with the air pocket pattern APP. Themetal layer ML may include metal such as tungsten (W), copper (Cu),cobalt (Co), ruthenium (Ru) or molybdenum (Mo).

In FIG. 8G, a planarization process may be performed on the resultingstructure of FIG. 8F according to step S170 of FIG. 6. For example, themetal layer ML and the nitride liner layer 190P may be planarized,thereby forming the nitride liner 190 from the nitride liner layer 190Pand the second source/drain electrode 150 from the metal layer ML. Theplanarization process may include a chemical-mechanical-planarization(CMP) process or an etch-back process.

In FIG. 8H, a heat treatment process may be performed on the resultingstructure of FIG. 8G according to step S180 of FIG. 6 to form the airpocket structure APS from the air pocket pattern APP. The detailedstructure of the air pocket structure APS was given with reference toFIGS. 3A to 3C, and thus the repeated description will be omitted.

The heat treatment process may be performed at an annealing temperaturebetween about 800 and about 900 , for example, to form the air gap AG byremoving a decomposable porogen material from the energy removablepattern APP-ERP. For example, the heat treatment process may apply aline of energy LOE on the structure of FIG. 8H, scanning through thestructure with the line of energy LOE to deliver thermal energy to theenergy removable pattern APP-ERP.

The present inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, anultra-violet (UV) light treatment process may apply.

In an exemplary embodiment, the air gap AG may be formed using a heattreatment process for the subsequent process step performed at anannealing temperature of about 800 to reduce the number of fabricationprocess steps. For example, the subsequent process steps may include aseries of contact structures demanding an annealing process performed atan annealing temperature between about 800 and about 900. The presentinventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, when a subsequentprocess is performed at a temperature higher than the annealingtemperature, the heat treatment process for forming the air gap AG maybe performed at the temperature higher than the annealing temperaturebetween 800 and about 900.

According to an exemplary embodiment, an air pocket structure having anair gap may be formed between a gate spacer and a source/drain electrodeto reduce a RC delay of the MOL integration including a source/draincontact.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the energy removable pattern maybe formed after the formation of a gate spacer and before the formationof a source/drain electrode, and a heat treatment process may beperformed on the energy removable pattern after the formation of thesource/drain electrode. This fabrication sequence may allow a transistorto have an air gap within a trench.

Hereinafter, it will be described about a fabrication process of formingthe semiconductor device 100 of FIG. 1 with the first air pocketstructure APS1 of FIG. 4. The fabrication process will be described withreference to FIGS. 1, 4, 6, 8A, 8B, 8E-8H, 9, 10 and 11.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing fabrication process steps of forming thesemiconductor device 100; FIG. 9 shows step S130 of FIG. 6 in detailaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;and FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8E-8H, 10 and 11 show step-by-step, cross-sectionalviews, taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1, of the semiconductor device 100formed according to the fabrication process of FIGS. 6 and 9.

In FIG. 10, an air pocket layer APL is formed on the resulting structureof FIG. 8B according to step S130 of FIGS. 6 and 9. For example, the airpocket layer APL may be conformally formed, using a CVD process, on atop surface of the interlayer dielectric layer 200 and an inner sidewallof the trench 300. The inner sidewall of the trench 300 may be definedby a sidewall of the interlayer dielectric layer 200, thegate-spacer-loss region GPR and a sidewall of the second gate spacer136R. In an exemplary embodiment, the air pocket layer APL may be incontact with the second gate spacer 136R with the gate-spacer-lossregion GPR. In an exemplary embodiment, the air pocket layer APL may bein contact with the source/drain contact 180.

The air pocket layer APL includes a second low-k dielectric layerAPL-2LK and an energy removable layer APL-ERL. In step S130B, the energyremovable layer APL-ERL may be formed, using a CVD process, on the firstlow-k dielectric layer APL-1LK. In step S130C, the second low-kdielectric layer APL-2LK may be formed, using a CVD process, on theenergy removable layer APL-ERL.

The second low-k dielectric layer APL-2LK may include a low-k dielectricmaterial having atoms such as Si, C, O, N, B, P and H.

The energy removable layer APL-ERL may include a material such as athermal decomposable material, a photonic decomposable material, ane-beam decomposable material, and a combination thereof. The detaileddescription of the material was made above with reference to the topsealing APS-TS, and thus the detailed description thereof will beomitted.

In FIG. 11, an air pocket pattern APP is formed from the air pocketlayer APL of FIG. 10 according to step S140 of FIG. 6 using a reactiveion etching (ME) process. The detailed description is substantially thesame as that of FIG. 8D, and thus will be omitted.

The air pocket pattern APP includes a second low-k dielectric patternAPP-2LK and an energy removable pattern APP-ERP. The second low-kdielectric pattern APP-2LK may remain in place in the subsequentprocess, thereby serving as a template with a sidewall of the secondgate spacer 136R and a sidewall of the interlayer dielectric layer 200to form the air gap AG. In the completed structure of the air pocketstructure APP of FIG. 4, the second low-k dielectric pattern APP-2LK wasreferred to using “APS-2LK.” The remaining process steps S150 to S180will be performed to form the completed structure of the air pocketstructure APP of FIG. 4.

Hereinafter, it will be described about a fabrication process of formingthe semiconductor device 100 of FIG. 1 with the first air pocketstructure APS1 of FIG. 5. The fabrication process will be described withreference to FIGS. 1, 4, 6, 8A, 8B, 8E to 8H, and 12 to 14.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing fabrication process steps of forming thesemiconductor device 100; FIG. 12 shows step S130 of FIG. 6 in detailaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;and FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8E-8H, 13 and 14 show step-by-step, cross-sectionalviews taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1 of the semiconductor device 100formed according to the fabrication process of FIGS. 6 and 12.

In FIG. 13, an air pocket layer APL is formed on the resulting structureof FIG. 8B according to step S130 of FIGS. 6 and 12. For example, theair pocket layer APL may be conformally formed, using a CVD process, ona top surface of the interlayer dielectric layer 200 and a sidewall ofthe trench 300. The sidewall of the trench 300 may be defined by asidewall of the interlayer dielectric layer 200, the gate-spacer-lossregion GPR and a sidewall of the second gate spacer 136R. In anexemplary embodiment, the air pocket layer APL may be in contact withthe second gate spacer 136R with the gate-spacer-loss region GPR. In anexemplary embodiment, the air pocket layer APL may be in contact withthe source/drain contact 180.

The air pocket layer APL includes a first low-k dielectric layer APL-1LKand an energy removable layer APL-ERL. In step S130A, the first low-kdielectric layer APL-1LK may be formed, using a CVD process, in thetrench 300. In step S130B, the energy removable layer APL-ERL may beformed, using a CVD process, on the first low-k dielectric layerAPL-1LK.

The first low-k dielectric layer APL-1LK may include a low-k dielectricmaterial having atoms such as Si, C, O, B, P, N and H.

The energy removable layer APL-ERL may include a material such as athermal decomposable material, a photonic decomposable material, ane-beam decomposable material, and a combination thereof. The detaileddescription of the material was made above with reference to the topsealing APS-TS, and thus the detailed description thereof will beomitted.

In FIG. 14, an air pocket pattern APP is formed from the air pocketlayer APL of FIG. 13 according to step S140 of FIG. 6 using a reactiveion etching (RIE) process. The detailed description is substantially thesame as that of FIG. 8D, and thus will be omitted.

The air pocket pattern APP includes a first low-k dielectric patternAPP-1LK and an energy removable pattern APP-ERP. The first low-kdielectric pattern APP-1LK may remain in place in the subsequentprocess, thereby serving as a template with a sidewall of the nitrideliner 190 to form the air gap AG. In the completed structure of the airpocket structure APP of FIG. 5, the first low-k dielectric patternAPP-1LK was referred to using “APS-1LK.” The remaining process stepsS150 to S180 will be performed to form the completed structure of theair pocket structure APP of FIG. 4.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 15, it will be described about afabrication process of forming the semiconductor device 100 of FIG. 1with the first air pocket structure APS1 of FIG. 5. The fabricationprocess of FIG. 15 is substantially the same as that of FIG. 6, exceptthat the heat treatment process of S120 in FIG. 6 is performed after thesecond source/drain electrode 150 is formed. In this case, thesource/drain contact 180 and the air gap AG may be formed atsubstantially the same time with a heat treatment process that may beperformed in the process steps for forming a series of contactstructures demanding an annealing process performed at a temperaturebetween about 800 and about 900. For example, in step S120′, a duallayer including a metal layer and a nitride layer may be formed on thesource/drain region 170 exposed by the trench 300 without performing aheat treatment process. The heat treatment process will be held inabeyance until the second source/drain electrode 150 is formed in stepS170 and then the heat treatment process is applied to formsimultaneously the source/drain contact 180 in the source/drain region170 and the air gap AG, as shown in FIG. 8H.

Hereinafter, it will be described about a fabrication process of formingthe semiconductor device 100 of FIG. 1 with the first air pocketstructure APS1 of FIG. 3A to 3C. The fabrication process will bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 1, 16 and 17A to 17F.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing fabrication process steps of forming thesemiconductor device 100; and FIGS. 17A to 17F show step-by-step,cross-sectional views taken along line I-I′ of FIG. 1 of thesemiconductor device 100 formed according to the fabrication process ofFIG. 16. The fabrication process steps of FIG. 16 are substantiallysimilar to those of FIG. 6, except that a dual layer of a metal layerand a nitride layer is partially removed from a sidewall of the trench300 before a heat treatment process is applied to form the source/draincontact 180.

In FIG. 17A, a dual layer DL including a metal layer 181 and a nitridelayer 182 are formed on the source/drain region 187 according to step210 of FIG. 16. The step 210 includes the step S110 of FIG. 6 and theformation of the dual layer DL. For example, the metal layer 181 may beformed on the source/drain region 187 using a sputtering process; andthe nitride layer 182 may be conformally formed on the metal layer 181using a CVD process or an ALD process. At the bottom of the trench 300,the metal layer 181 may be in contact with the source/drain region 187and may be interposed between the source/drain region 187 and thenitride layer 182. For example, the metal layer 181 may includetitanium, nickel, nickel platinum, aluminum, molybdenum or cobalt; andthe nitride layer 182 may include TiN or TaN.

In FIG. 17B, an organic dielectric layer 400 are formed on the resultingstructure of FIG. 17A according to step S220 of FIG. 16. For example,the organic dielectric layer 400 fills the trench 300. The organicdielectric layer 400 may include, but are not limited to,Poly(arylene)ethers, Poly(arylene)ether oxazoles, Parylene-N,Polyimides, Polynaphthalene-N, Polyphenyl-Quinoxalines,Polybenzoxazoles, Polyindane, Polynorborene, Polystyrene,Polyphenyleneoxide, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, divinylsiloxanebis-benzocyclobutene (BCB), αC, αFC, or combinations thereof

In FIG. 17C, an etch-back process is performed on the resultingstructure of FIG. 17B to form an organic-dielectric-etch mask 400Raccording to step S230 of FIG. 16. For example, in the etch-backprocess, a top surface of the organic dielectric layer 400 may berecessed to form the organic-dielectric-etch mask 400R. Theorganic-dielectric-etch mask 400R has a predetermined thickness Dsufficient to form the source/drain contact in a heat treatment processthat will be described with reference to step S260.

In FIG. 17D, the dual layer DL is partially removed using theorganic-dielectric-etch mask 400R according to step S240 of FIG. 16. Anetching process using an etchant such as H₂O₂ and a SC-1 solution may beapplied to the resulting structure of FIG. 17C. The dual layer DL notcovered with the organic-dielectric-etch mask 400R may be removed,thereby forming a patterned dual layer PDL at the bottom of the trench300. The patterned dual layer PDL includes a patterned metal layer 181Pand a patterned nitride layer 182P.

In FIG. 17E, the organic-dielectric-etch mask 400R is removed accordingto step S250 of FIG. 16 and then a heat treatment process may be appliedaccording to steps S250 and S260. In an exemplary embodiment, theorganic-dielectric-etch mask 400R may be removed using an ashingprocess. The heat treatment process may be performed in a temperaturebetween about 800 and about 900, for example, to form the source/draincontact 180. The present inventive concept is not limited thereto. Forexample, an ultra-violet (UV) light treatment process may apply. In anexemplary embodiment, before performing the subsequent process,unreacted part of the patterned metal layer 181P and the patternednitride layer 182P may be removed by using an etchant such as H₂O₂ and aSC-1 solution. The resulting structure of FIG. 17F corresponds to thatof FIG. 8B. The process steps the heat treatment of S120 to S180applicable to the resulting structure of FIG. 8B will apply to theresulting structure of FIG. 17F according to step 270 of FIG. 16.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 18, it will be described about afabrication process of forming the semiconductor device 100 of FIG. 1with the first air pocket structure APS1 of FIG. 5. The fabricationprocess of FIG. 18 is substantially the same as that of FIG. 16 exceptthat the heat treatment of S120 in FIG. 16 is performed after the secondsource/drain electrode 150 is formed. In this case, the source/draincontact 180 and the air gap AG may be formed at substantially the sametime with a heat treatment for the process steps for forming a series ofcontact structures demanding an annealing process performed at anannealing temperature between about 800 and about 900. The presentinventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, when a processstep is performed at a temperature higher than the annealingtemperature, the process step may be used to form the source/draincontact 180 and the air gap AG simultaneously. The forming of the seriesof contact structures may be performed after the second source/drainelectrode 150 is formed.

While the present inventive concept has been shown and described withreference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detail maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinventive concept as defined by the following claims.

1. A semiconductor device, comprising: a gate electrode disposed on afin; a gate spacer disposed on the fin and a sidewall of the gateelectrode; a source/drain electrode disposed on the fin; an air pocketstructure interposed between the gate spacer and the source/drainelectrode, wherein the air pocket structure includes a first sidewall, atop sealing, a second sidewall and a bottom sealing, wherein the airpocket structure further includes an air gap enclosed by the firstsidewall, the top sealing, the second sidewall and the bottom sealingarranged in a clockwise sequence, and wherein the top sealing and thebottom sealing include the same material of an energy removablematerial.
 2. The semiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising afirst low-k dielectric pattern interposed between the gate spacer andthe air gap, wherein the first sidewall of the air pocket structure isdefined by the first low-k dielectric pattern; and a second low-kdielectric pattern interposed between the air gap and the source/drainelectrode, wherein the second sidewall of the air pocket structure isdefined by the second low-k dielectric pattern.
 3. The semiconductordevice of claim 2, wherein the first low-k dielectric pattern includes adielectric material of which a dielectric constant is smaller than thatof silicon oxide.
 4. The semiconductor device of claim 3, wherein thedielectric material of the first low-k dielectric pattern includes atomsof Si, B, C, N, P, O or H.
 5. (canceled)
 6. The semiconductor device ofclaim 1, wherein the first sidewall of the air pocket structure isdefined in part by the gate spacer.
 7. The semiconductor device of claim6, further comprising: an interlayer dielectric layer covering the gateelectrode; wherein the first sidewall of the air pocket structure isfurther defined in part by the interlayer dielectric layer.
 8. Thesemiconductor device of claim 1, further comprising: a nitride linerinterposed between the source/drain electrode and the air gap, whereinthe second sidewall of the air pocket structure is defined by thenitride liner.
 9. (canceled)
 10. A method of fabricating a semiconductordevice, comprising: forming a gate structure on a fin, wherein the gatestructure includes a first gate spacer, a second gate spacer, and a gateelectrode interposed therebetween; forming a source/drain contact on thefin; forming a source/drain electrode on the source/drain contact;forming an air pocket pattern on the source/drain contact, wherein theair pocket pattern includes a first low-k dielectric pattern and anenergy removable pattern between the gate structure and the source/drainelectrode; and forming an air gap defined in part by the first low-kdielectric pattern by applying energy to the energy removable patternwherein the forming of the source/drain electrode includes: forming aninterlayer dielectric layer covering the gate structure and the fin;forming a trench exposing a part of the fin; forming a source/drainregion in the part of the fin through the trench; forming thesource/drain contact on the source/drain region, and wherein the formingof the source/drain contact includes: forming a metal layer within thetrench; forming a nitride layer on the metal layer; forming an etch maskcovering a bottom portion of the nitride layer; and removing partiallythe metal layer and the nitride layer exposed by the etch mask to form apatterned metal layer and a patterned nitride layer.
 11. (canceled) 12.(canceled)
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the forming of the airgap includes separating the energy removable pattern into a top sealingand a bottom sealing, wherein the bottom sealing is in contact with thesource/drain contact, and wherein the air gap is interposed between thebottom sealing and the top sealing.
 14. The method of claim 10, whereinthe forming of the source/drain contact further includes a silicidationprocess, and wherein the silicidation process is performed by theapplying of the energy to the energy removable pattern. 15-17.(canceled)
 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the forming of the airpocket pattern is before the forming of the source/drain electrode, andwherein the applying of the energy to the energy removable pattern isperformed after the forming of the source/drain electrode.
 19. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the air pocket pattern further includes asecond low-k dielectric pattern, and wherein the energy removablepattern is interposed between the first low-k dielectric pattern and thesecond low-k dielectric pattern.
 20. (canceled)
 21. The method of claim10, further comprising: forming a nitride liner between the air pocketpattern and the source/drain electrode.
 22. (canceled)
 23. The method ofclaim 21, wherein the air pocket pattern further includes a second low-kdielectric pattern, wherein the energy removable pattern is interposedbetween the first low-k dielectric pattern and the second low-kdielectric pattern, and wherein the second low-k dielectric pattern isinterposed between the energy removable pattern and the nitride liner,wherein the first low-k dielectric pattern is in contact with the secondgate spacer, wherein the second low-k dielectric pattern is in contactwith the nitride liner, and wherein the first low-k dielectric patternand the second low-k dielectric pattern are in contact with thesource/drain contact.
 24. (canceled)
 25. The method of claim 10, whereinthe forming of the source/drain contact further includes: performing asilicidation process on the patterned metal layer.
 26. The method ofclaim 25, wherein the silicidation process and the forming of the airgap are performed at the same time.
 27. The method of claim 10, whereinthe forming of the etch mask includes: forming an organic dielectriclayer to fill the trench; and performing an etch-back process on theorganic dielectric layer to form the etch mask.
 28. A method of forminga trench silicide contact, the method comprising: perforating one ormore layers to create a perforation exposing at least a portion of asilicon substrate; depositing a first material through the perforation,the first material including a first metal that is reactive withsilicon; annealing the silicon substrate to form a silicide in theexposed portion of the silicon substrate; removing the first materialfrom sidewalls of the layers; depositing a liner material onto thesidewalls of the layers, the liner material having a lower dielectricconstant than that of silicon dioxide and including an energy removalporous material; depositing a second material through the perforation,the deposited second material being in electrical contact with thesilicide forming an etch mask covering a bottom portion of the depositedsecond material; and removing partially the liner material and thedeposited second material exposed by the etch mask to form a patternedlayer of the first material and a patterned layer of the liner material.29-33. (canceled)